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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stand — to bear
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bore — to drill
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com